Apparatus for disintegrating, grinding, reducing to fibers, mixing, or felting humid or dry materials



Patented Feb. 4, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE EnuARn s'rRRzL, orPRAGUE, czncnosnovaxm ArraRaTus FOR DISINTEGRATING, GRINDING, REDUCING'roirnmns, MIXING, R

FELTING HUMID 0R DRY MATERIALS Application filed August a. 1927, SerialNo.

5 used for this purpose being of the type, in

which the material to be treated is worked upon by the teeth ofarotating element, pref erably of a drum, passing between fixed counterteeth of an element remaining at rest. preferably of the casing-and isthen removed from the apparatus at a place axially distant from where ithad been introduced into it.

\Vith known machines of this kind, in which the material is to be.comminuted, ground, reduced to fibers, disintegrated or mixed betweenteeth, pins or tenons, it isnot possible to bring the entire mass, that'is to say all parts thereof, by one single operation into the desiredfinal state or form. Forthis reason either the entire mass or thoseparts thereof which had not been worked up to the desired extent, haveto be run several times through the machineor else small portions of thematerial have to be subjected to the treatment by the machine forsufiicient long time until the desired state of the material will beattained. Many materials, such as for instance wood chips, shavings orthe like, cannot at all by mechanical treatment by means of the hithertoknown machines be reduced tofibers.

The resent invention offers the possibility of subpacting the materialduring one single operation to a treatment; of all parts and particlesof the mass, which treatment is by a positive motion repeated again andagain, so that all parts are transformed into the desired final state.

The new method is also inthe economical respect superior to the hithertoknown method. The most varying organic or inorganic substances maybecomminuted, ground, reduced to fibers, disintegrated, felted or mixed,according to their nature or to their intended utilizationeither in adry, wet or oily state.

Organic fibrous materials may be treated so thatthe fibers will remainalthough all the cells may be opened. Hard materials, such as coal,earth colors and the like, can be ground either in a dryor oily state orwhen 211,793, and in Germany: August 20,.ia2e.

highly moisteda The moisturelfmay, if desired, be expelled by theairdraft during the removal of the ground material by means of suction.Hard fruits, such as maize, peas, oats. lentils, barley and the like,may, either alone or mixed with chopped straw, hay, leaves, herb-plantsetc. be partly ground and partly reduced to fibers. Leather waste, ragsand similar fibrous materials may-acc'ording to their intended useeither in a wet'or in a dry state-be transformed into a fibrous, readilyfelt forming or into aslimymass, both of'them constituting" a mostvaluable raw material for many industries. aste of,

raw hides, intestines and like waste, if necessary soaked in water, canbe" transformed thereby into a slimy or "fibrouspulp, so that thereafterthe slimy or adhesive substances can easily be separated from thefibrous constituents'for the purpose of producing glue, artificialleather or other products of com mercial value. \Vood waste of any kindcan, when dry, be ground to wood meal or, when wet, be reduced to afibrous mass constituting a most suitable raw material for manyindustries, such as the manufactureof. linoleum,

paper. building or insulating materials, arti- I ficial leather etc.lVaste paper Q (maculature) after having undergone a preliminarycomminution and after having been soaked in the known manner, can beredncedto fibers so completely and perfectly, thatthe printing ink willseparate from the fibrous material and may be scummed off. Thus apaperpulp equivalent to fresh pulp may be obtained.

The gnarled (knotty) waste stufii' resulting in the cellulosemanufacture ca-n-much better than had hitherto been done by'means of thegrinding mill-be groundto paper pulp. Cellulose can-similarly, but moreadvans -teeth',to forces accelerating them in the direction of therotation andby the fixed teeth of the casing to forces retarding them inthe tageously than in the known pulp engine, be 4 to be treated towardsthe outlet is also brought about or supported by the axial components ofthe retarding forces produced by the faces of the fixed teeth, for whichpurpose said faces are also disposed in an oblique positionso as to formwith the axial plane an angle open towards the outlet.

Owing to this arrangement all parts of the material are by a positivelyforced movement successively and rapidly following one another partlyexposed to the lacerating action between the edge of the rotating toothand that of the-fixed tooth, partly driven into the slit between therotating tooth and the adjacent fixed tooth, the breadth of which slitis chosen in accordance with the desired degree of disintegration, andpartly driven into the spaces between the fixed teeth.

Preferably the section of the rotating teeth is trapezoidal. The facesof the fixed teeth.

opposed to the rotative movement are preferably also forming with theaxial plane an angle open towards the outlet side of let us say forinstance 23. The lateral surfaces of the rotating as well as those ofthe fixed teethare lying in planes perpendicular to the axis andadvantageously are roughened. Preferably also the cylindrical innersurface of the casing opposedto the cylindrical outer surfaces of therotating teeth are roughened. The. material to be treated is preferablyintroduced in the middle of the drums length and leaves the apparatus atboth ends of the drum. Thereby the necessity of providing a tightclosure on the one end is done away with and the axial pressures exertedon the drum are thus balanced. The teeth of the rotating teeth crownsand those of the fixed crowns may be arranged in rows parallel to theaxis. The length of the rotating teeth and that of the fixed teeth aswell as the length of 50 the spaces between these teeth may be approximately the same.

In the drawing a machine for carrying the -new method into practice isillustrated by way of example.

Fig.1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a distintegrator, showingin its upper part the tooth spaces of the casing and the teeth of thedrum and in its lower part the tooth spaces of the drum and the teeth ofthe casing.

Fig. 2 is a similar sectional View of the upper part at an enlargedscale, the section being made through the teeth of the drum and those ofthe casing.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatical View of a quarter of the drums cylindricalsurface, de-

veloped in a plane, the teeth of the casing extending between the rowsof the rotatmg teeth being shown in section.

. To a shaft 5 rotatably mounted in bearings 4;-

a cylindrical drum 6 is secured, which turns in the sense as indicatedby the arrow I (Fig. On the cylindrical surface of the drum thetrapezoidal teeth 7 are provided, the fronts or faces of which areinclined so as to form with the axial plane an angle cc of for instance23, which is open towards the outlet end of the drum. Thelateralsurfaces of these teeth 7 are lying in planes perpendicular to the axis.These teeth 7 constitute a number of crowns arranged side by side atequal distances. The mantle 8 of .the casing surrounding the drum 6 ison its inner surface provided with the trapezoidal fixed teeth 9engaging between the teeth crowns 7 and extending radially so far as tonearly touch the surface of the drum. The faces of the teeth 9 opposedto the rotative movement are forming with the axial plane an angle ,8,which also The dimensions of the teeth are approximately the same asthose of the spaces between them, so that thelatter are alternatelyclosed and opened, when the rotating teeth are passing.

The material is admitted in the middle through the feeding pipe 10, itsescape takes place at both ends of the drum through the channels 11 and12 and the outlet pipe 13.

The paths followed by the material during the operation of the apparatusare shown in Fig. 3 by arrows.

The action of the method and of the apparatus is based on the following:

On the one hand the material between the movable teeth, rotating at thespeed of the latter, is intercepted by the friction on the cylindricalinner surface of the casing, moreover on the teeth of the adjacent fixedteeth crowns and finally on the material retained in the spaces betweenthe single fixed teeth. Consequently by the rotating tooth a force hasto be transferred to this material, which is equal to the brake orchecking resistance above mentioned, but has the opposite direction..This force isdecomposd into a component perpendicular to the obliquetooth front and a component parallel to it. By the latter the materialto be treated is laterally driven towards the outlet.

On the other hand the friction of the flanks I of the rotatingteeth onthe material between the fixed teeth tends to accelerate the latter,which consequenly exercises a pressure against the oblique front of thefixed tooth. Owing to this pressure the material is shifted in the samesense, that is to say in the axial direction towards the outlet. Thelateral shifting of the material from the plane of the admission pointto the plane of the outlet is consequently effected by the oblique frontof all teeth, those of the rotating crowns as well as those of thefixed-crowns, that is to say by a very great number of small, closelyadjacent surfaces, which are, uniformly distributed all over the hollowcylindrical space occupied'by said crowns. This movement can besupported by the action of the air draft employed forsucking off theground material. 'Owing to this arrangement the material is divided intoa very great number of small noncohering partial masses and there is nomore necessity of driving it by an external pressure in more or lesscohering,

rather large masses through the machine, as has to be done with theknown machines of this kind. The partial masses are by a continuousmovement, in which the single particles are rapidly following oneanother, led against or to a very great number of lacerating or cuttingedges and caused to pass between tearing or grinding surfaces, so thatthey are uniformly comminuted. The single tooth spaces or chambersbetween two consecutive rotative teeth and two consecutive fixed teethare by the material to be treated only filled up to a certain part oftheir entire volumer If forremoving the ground material air draft isemployed, the stream of air helps to move on said partial masses in thesame direction. By the fact, that said chambers-between the teeth arealternately and rapidly closed and opened again, the efficiency of theair stream is considerably mcreased.

Itis evident, that the effect aimed at and obtained by the apparatusdescribed hereinbefore, can also be-obtained by means of a turning disccarrying the rotating teeth and a fixed disc provided with thecounter-teeth.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for comminuting, grinding, disintegrating, reducing tofibers, m xlng or felting humid (moisted) or dry substances consistingof a rotating element provided with working teeth and a fixedelementprovided with counter-teeth remaining at rest, in which apparatusthe faces of the teeth exercising a pressrfre on the material to betreated are inclined so as to be adapted for shifting the materialoutwardly during the rotation.

2. An apparatus for comminuting, grinding, disintegrating, reducing tofibers, mixing or. felting humid (moisted) or dry substances conslstingof a rotating drum with ter teeth, in which apparatus the front facesof'the rotating teeth are disposed so as to form with the axial plane anangle open towards the outlet.

3. An apparatus for comminuting, grinding, disintegrating, reducing tofibers, mixing or felting humid (moisted) or drysubstances consisting ofa rotating drum with teeth secured thereto and of a casing provided onits inner surface with fixed counter teeth, in which apparatus the frontfaces of the rotating teeth are disposed so as to form with the axialplane an angle of approximately 23, open towards the outlet.

4. An apparatus for comminuting, grinding, disintegrating, reducing tofibers, mixing or felting humid (moisted) or dry substances consistingof a rotating drum with teeth socured thereto and of a casing providedon its inner surface with fixed counter teeth, in which apparatus thefront faces of the rotating teeth are disposed so as to form with theaxial plane an angle open towards the outlet.

5. An apparatus for comminuting, grinding, disintegrating,reducingtofibers, mixing o1 felting humid (moisted) or dry substancesconsisting of a rotating drum with .teeth secured thereto and of acasing provided on itsiuner surface with fixed counter teeth, in whichapparatus the front faces of the rotating teeth are disposed so as toform with the axial plane an angle of approximately 23, open towards theoutlet, and in which the faces of the fixed teeth opposed to the direction of the rotary movement are also inclined so as to form with theaxial plane an angle of about 23, open towards the outlet.

6. An apparatus for comminuting, grinding, disintegrating, reducing tofibers, mixing or felting humid (moisted) or drysubstances consisting ofa rotating drum with teeth secured thereto and of a casing provided onits inner surface with fixed counter teeth, in which apparatus the frontfaces of the rotating teeth are disposed so as to form with the axialplane an angle open towards the end, the length of the rotating teethbeing substantially the same as that of the spaces between the fixedteeth and the length of the spaces between the rotating teeth beingsubstantially the same as that of the fixed teeth, so that the saidspaces are alternately opened and closed by the passing teeth.

7. An apparatus for comminuting, grinding, disintegratin reducing tofibers, mixing or felting humid moisted) or dry substances. consistingof a rotating drum with teeth secured thereto andof a casing provided onits inner surface with fixed counter teeth, in which a paratus the frontfaces of the rotating teet are disposed so as to form with the axlalplane an angle open towards the outlet, the lateral surfaces of therotating teeth as well as those of the fixed teeth lying in planesperpendicular to the axis of the drum and being roughened.

8. An apparatus for comminuting, grinding, disintegrating, reducing tofibers, mixing or felting humid (moisted) or dry sub stances consistingof a rotating drum with teeth secured thereto and of a casing providedon its inner surface with fixed counter teeth, in which apparatus thefront faces of the rotating teeth are disposed so as to form with theaxial plane an angle open towards the outlet, the head surfaces(cylindrical outer surfaces) of the rotating teeth and the cylindricalinner surface of the casing opposed to them being roughened.

9. An apparatus for comminuting, grinding, disintegrating, reducingtofibers, mixing or felting humid (moisted) or dry substances consistingof a rotating drum with teeth secured thereto and of a casing providedon its inner surface with fixed counter teeth, inwhich apparatus thefront faces of the rotating teeth are disposed so as to form with theaxial plane an angle open towards the outlet, the admission of thematerial to be treated taking place in the middle of the drum and theremoval at the ends thereof, for which purpose in each of the two halvesof the apparatus thus created the inclination of the faces of therotating teeth as well as of those .of the fixed teeth is such as tolook and to shift outwardly.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

EDUARD STERZL.

